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RAISE Family Caregivers Act (H.R. 3759) (S. 1028)

Brief Summary:

The purpose of the RAISE Act is to direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop, maintain, and periodically update a National Family Caregiving Strategy. HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise it on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. Federal departments and agencies must also share with HHS any data they maintain that HHS needs in order to prepare the initial and updated strategies.

Background:

The bill provides for the creation of a National Family Caregiving Strategy by the Secretary and states that the plan should address the following:

Promoting greater adoption of person- and family-centered care in all health and long-term services and supports settings, with the person receiving services and support and the family caregiver (as appropriate) at the center of care teams.

Assessment and service planning (including care transitions and coordination) involving family caregivers and care recipients.

Workplace policies and supports that enable family caregivers to remain in the workforce.

The bill also states that the Secretary will have a number of responsibilities including, but not limited to: collecting and making publicly available information regarding the provision of care by family caregivers or support for family caregivers, coordinating federal government programs and activities to recognize and support family caregivers, and providing technical assistance to support family caregivers.

This bill also provides for the creation of Family Caregiving Advisory Council to give advice to the Secretary on recognizing and supporting family caregivers, who will be responsible for issuing periodic reports.The bill requires that the Council be diverse in its make-up and mandates quarterly public meetings of the Council. The Council and the Secretary shall also develop a process for public input on the national strategy, which will include a process for the public to submit recommendations to the Advisory Council and an opportunity for public comment on the proposed strategy.

Finally, the bill requires that the Secretary develop, publish, and submit to Congress the initial strategy (incorporating the items addressed in the Advisory Council’s report and other priority actions for recognizing and supporting family caregivers) no later than 18th months after the date of enactment of this Act. The Secretary must also update, republish, and submit to Congress the strategy no less than every year.

It is important to note that the bill has a Sunset Provision which states that the authority and obligations established by this Act shall terminate five years after it was enacted.

Status:

This bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in May of 2017, and has been voted out of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where it was reported favorably without amendment. The related House version was introduced in September of 2017 by Congressman Gregg Harper (R-MS) and Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL) and has been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for review.

Key Terms:

Family Caregiver–an adult family member or other individual who has a significant relationship with, and who provides a broad range of assistance to, an individual with a chronic or other health condition, disability, or functional limitation.

Secretary–refers to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Strategy–refers to the National Family Caregiving Strategy being established, maintained, and updated.